Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-02-09

into the thin, dark face before me
showed me that some issue of life and
death hung for her on this common
place matter.
"Fust, l wanted to learn to do up de
shirts SOS to please ole mist. Some OBJ
de ladies, when dere gals do up de
clo'es fine, ulster say; You good chile,
Susy or M'randy,' N Glib 'em plea
yunc. ] doan want no picayune, de
Lohd knows! But l tink-Well,
want no use. | he'd drefful hard
times! l doan want talk bout dat; Use
free now"
eyes, you had hard times" | said,
soothingly. but that is all over. What
is your big reason now?"
Its my boy, Miss Lucy, Moncheer
Robidcaux."
"Bobbs."
Oats dc fool-name dem darkics glib
him, He was named fob dc French
gemmen Henry 'longcd to. Henry
was my husband. H. was killed in dc
wah. You know my boyp Slikcly
you've heard him sing?n
"Oh, it's he who singsP" said DIR.
Nacticr.
"Yc'sah. Pears like all dc life he'd
gone outen he's pore body into he's
voice.
"How did he get into that condi-
tionP 1t came suddenly, did it notP'
"Ycssah. She glanced round over
the tobacco field, as if afraid to be over
heard. "You see, when his fader gone,
m mo N Bobbs war alonc, | us ter
tell him bout ole times, N how Mist
Yokum she hab me logged n oder
tings. Bobbs he skecrcd he mighty
little fellow, n easy skecrcd. Mist
Yokum she uscter meet me N dc boy,
n say: Use coming down fob dat
boy. He longs to mel N gnash her
teef at him jes' outcn wickcdncss So
one day go down de road, n leah
my boy playin' on dc flooh, n when |
cum back, meet her-comn' out'n de
doah. She lookt skccred., Somelin ais
dat chile, she say, quietlike. run in.
Miss Lucy, she done tricked my boy"
"What? What does she meanP"
asked the doctor, eagerly.
"Shc means bewitched, enchanted.
The old woman, she thinks, had the
mat occhiO"
"She hab some black blood, Miss
Lucy" said Glossy, in scared Whisper.
"She Voudoo. Dah's my boy to prove
it."
Eyes, l understand, said DIR. Mac
tier, after a moments thought. q" Have
you ever consulted a physician about
the child?'
''Jes' hear to dc gemman, Miss Lucy!
Why, sab, what'n could all de doctors
in de worhld do? He's trickedr
Eyes, yes. What are you saving
your money to do for him, then,
Clossy9"
She came closer, lowering her voice.
"Its ole Mist Yokum, sab. She come
to me two month ago N say, Glossy,
1 want TO take dat trick off Bobbs, but
pears like hedn't got dc power. 1t
needs pow'ful charms, n dcy costs
heaps oh money. Yoh must put all de
money! she says, dat yoh kin git in
de hollar OBJ dat pecan-trec cherry Sun
day night, n den go in N lock dc
doah n pray wild yoh eyes shut. m
when yoh git nulf oh money, You'll
wake some mornin' N Bobbs'll be
gone. He'll not come back for tree
months, N you mus keep quiet and
say muffin. N when he comes, he'll
be daucin' N jumpin'.' Praise dc
Lohdr'
DR.. Macticr's grave face kept me ST.
lent.
81 understand" he said, after q
longer pause than before. you have
put the money in the pecan trceP'
"Reg'lar, sah."
"And it is always gone in the morn
ingP'
"Clah vanished, sah!" with an cx-
preston of awe and delight, as il she
had assisted at veritablc miracle.
As we crossed the meadow on our
way home, the doctor asked, what is
the truth about this old mistress of
Clossy'sP"
'She was n fruit huckstcr from New
Orleans" told him, "who had saved
enough money to buy few acres
here and two or three slaves. She
could not read or write, and remem-
Der that there was rumor that she
had black blood in her veins. But
how do you understand Clossy's
story?"
1T is easily understood. Her mis-
tress was enraged at losing her slaves,
and, going to the cabin, probably
threatened the child, whose mother
had made bogy of her for him all of
his life. The child's terror brought on
an attack of Iaraphtcgio. 1t is not an
uncommon case"
"But this offer to remove the spellp"
''Simply is scheme to rob the poor
washcr-woman of her little earnings,
and, l believe, to kidnap the boy and
exhibit him. l assure you, there is a
fortune in his voice, and some one has
told his old mistress of it. The in
credible part of the affair to me is that
Glossy should trust the old bag, know
ing her as she did"
"Oh, that is quite natural for one of
her race. They are the most credulous
people living" said, adding that, as
soon as George (my husband) arrived,
the old woman should be brought to a
confession. 81
George, however, did not return for
two weeks. Early on the morning of
the tenth day, Aunt Judy burst into
my room.
"Bobbs is gone, Miss Lucy! Was
outen dc medder fcedin' dc geese when